Home of the Week

Home of the Week: Gaze at the lake while waiting for summer

Get your fishing gear ready at this 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath Methuen Colonial

The first-floor deck offers a view of Forest Lake. Jennifer Willis Photography

By John R. Ellement, The Boston Globe

April 18, 2025

4 minutes to read

10 Bumpy Lane, Methuen

$925,000

Style Colonial

Year built 2000

Square feet 2,621

Bedrooms 4

Baths 3 full, 1 half

Sewer/Water Public

Taxes $7,558 (2025)

With warm weather beckoning, thoughts are turning to Cape Cod’s sandy beaches and the salty water of the Atlantic. What can you do the rest of the year, especially during a New England winter?

But moving to this Colonial on the shores of Forest Lake in Methuen assures 12 months of beauty, even during what seems like an endless winter. Once the ice melts on the 49-acre lake, activities include fishing, kayaking, electric-powered boating, and swimming.

An angled wooden walkway connects the lawn to the front door of the home. *– Jennifer Willis Photography*

A wide driveway directly off the street leads to the lawn in front of the home. An angled wooden walkway connects the lawn to the front door of the home with pale yellow siding and light green shutters flanking double-hung windows on three levels.

Stepping inside, there is a foyer and a hallway that run deep into the center of the home. The open floor plan incorporates the three standards — kitchen, dining, and living areas — and also shares the same manufactured ash hardwood flooring. There is also a half bath on this level with ceramic tile flooring.

There’s a penisula at the edge of the kitchen for casual dining. *– Jennifer Willis Photography*

The 218-square-foot kitchen is U-shaped with wood-toned cabinets. Seating is available on the left side of the gray Formica counters. The sink is underneath a window, and an upper-level cabinet to the left has a wine rack and clear glass doors to store goblets. There is recessed lighting, and the appliances — including the gas stove — are stainless steel.

The 187-square-foot dining area follows the kitchen and currently hosts a table with seating for six located underneath a double-hung window on the right exterior wall. But more natural light arrives from the clear glass sliders that connect to the rear deck overlooking the lake and the private dock.

The dining area is next to clear glass sliders that connect to the rear deck. – Jennifer Willis Photography

A line of thick crown molding runs along the dining area wall and continues into the 233-square-foot living area, which is reached by a left turn. A key feature of this portion of the first level is the stone-faced gas fireplace that runs from floor to ceiling in the left corner of the room. There is a second, clear glass slider that also connects to the rear deck.

On the second level, there are four bedrooms — including the primary suite — and a full bath.

The primary bedroom has a gas fireplace for warmth and ambience. – Jennifer Willis Photography

The primary suite is a sun-splashed refuge, especially the 336-square-foot bedroom where there are so many windows pulling in natural light. The main window is a modified Palladian design; in this iteration, the arched window is atop the two smaller windows. To the left is a door that opens to the private balcony with sweeping views of the lake.

The main light fixture is a chandelier with flame-like bulbs in the center of the ceiling. The bedroom has a gas-burning fireplace inset into a split-face stone mantle. A double-hung window is to the left of the gas fireplace. The flooring is engineered hardwood.

There is a walk-in closet with built-in shelving and cabinetry.

The primary bath has a soaking tub to relax in after a long day. *– Jennifer Willis Photography*

The 96-square-foot ensuite bath has a mahogany-toned vanity on the right with an oval bowl sink underneath a plate glass mirror. Opposite is a long jacuzzi soaking tub with silver faucets positioned underneath a double-hung window. The room flows to the shower insert on the right behind clear glass doors.

Two of the three secondary bedrooms are carpeted, have ceiling fans, and have closets behind sliding doors. The third bedroom, currently used as a library/office, has wood flooring and a ceiling fan.

The finished lower level is spacious and comfortable. – Jennifer Willis Photography

The 513-square-foot basement level is finished and comfortably furnished. Currently, there is a large sectional lining parts of two walls and a white refrigerator inset into the opposite wall, while a four-person table is positioned between them. There are above-ground windows on three exterior walls and a door with plates of clear glass windows opening to the rear yard and access to the lake.

On this level, there is a full bath with a white porcelain pedestal sink and a shower/tub combination. The flooring is hardwood.

The home has an unfinished walk-up attic, gas heat, central air conditioning, and a whole-house generator.

Christian Doherty of Doherty Properties in Chelmsford has the listing.

John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobe. Send listings to [email protected]. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes unless they are new-builds or gut renovations and will not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at Boston.com/address-newsletter and follow us on X @globehomes.